Organizational Leadership Portfolio
ORGL 515: Leadership and Human Potential
Highlights: Appreciative Inquiry; Growth Mindset
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In this class I learned about the importance of attitude when it comes to change – particularly how to reframe situations and attitudes to allow for creative solutions when presented with a problem. This class fit in my schedule at just the right time. It came along when my Leadership Project with the CRM was just beginning and gave me the right tools to have the hard conversations, ask necessary questions, and brainstorm creative solutions. Using appreciative inquiry and growth mindset throughout the class helped me to build a foundation that I could then take into the CRM project and my work life.
ORGL 517: Organizational Change and Transformation
Highlights: GlobalTech Simulation; On-campus Immersion
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This was the most recent class I took before Capstone. It taught me about change models and how to use them to facilitate a variety of changes at an organization. This class came along as different aspects of my CRM project were going live and it provided me with the tools I needed to help my coworkers and supervisor adjust to the changes that the project brought. This classes reminded me that constant communication and listening to feedback was key to managing change.
ORGL 520: Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Highlights: Increased comfort level of conflict
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This class opened my eyes to the benefits of conflict as well as gifted me with the tools to better approach and handle conflict and tension-filled situations. This class showed me alternative ways to handle conflict and facilitate change. Additionally, it showed me the power of using nonviolence in an organizational setting. This class drove home a lot of key concepts that I learned in ORGL 532.
ORGL 532: Leadership, Justice, and Forgiveness
Highlights: Forgiveness; Restorative Justice
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This class was one of the first classes I took in this program, and it left a lasting impact on me. In this class, I quickly learned how applicable every concept that I would learn in this program would be to my work, my relationships, and to my life in general. This class set the pace for how I would handle hurt, conflict, and problems moving forward. It taught me the importance of forgiveness and introduced me to the concept of restorative justice. It forced me to look inward and evaluate if I was holding on to past hurts. This class gave me the tools to let go of past pain and forgive those around me as well as tools to facilitate conversations regarding conflict, hurts, and forgiveness.
ORGL 535: Listen, Discern, Decide
Highlights: Silence; Fortuitous Encounters; Listening
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This class was one of the most impactful I have taken in this program. It gave me a whole new view on servant leadership and built in me a desire for silence in which to discover deeper meanings. Even though I have always prized good listening and strove to be a good listener, this class taught me even deeper listening skills that can lead to connections and problem solving. I learned that sometimes the right move is to sit still and listen before choosing a path on which to act.
ORGL 600: Foundations of Leadership
Highlights: Creation of Leadership Philosophy; Introduction to program
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This class was my first introduction to Organizational Leadership. When I signed up for the program, I did not fully grasp what I was stepping into. It was through this class that I realized how beneficial organizational leadership would be to my life. I wrote my leadership philosophy tying in my core beliefs to better push me to embrace the program. It was in this class I was first introduced to the concept of dialogic communications, which was transformative to my leadership philosophy. It was in this class that I learned leadership was not a position, but rather something I could apply no matter what position I am in. This was my first stepping stone in this life-changing master’s program.
ORGL 605: Imagine. Create. Lead.
Highlights: Noticing; Seeing and seeing again; On-Campus Immersion
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This was the first class where I got to see other students and faculty face-to-face. It showed me that I was not alone and so many others were going through the same classes as me while also working full-time jobs. This class also taught me to be aware of my surroundings and to sit in the moment. It showed me the benefits of thoughtfully responding to a situation instead of immediately reacting.
ORGL 610: Communication and Leadership Ethics
Highlights: Dialogic Communication; Using my voice; Uncovering origin of personal beliefs
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I took this class at about the halfway point in the program. This class demanded a personal evaluation of my own ethics and values. It made me examine what I believe and why I believe those things. This class helped me reorganize and evaluate my beliefs so that I could better explain them clearly and concisely. I formed a personal credo and in doing so uncovered the origins of my beliefs – drawing on upbringing, various classes, and friends and family.
ORGL 615: Organizational Behavior and Theory
Highlights: Systems Thinking; Climbing Mount Everest Simulation
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This class was the most coursework heavy and technically challenging for me. It challenged me in teamwork and team leading as well as in how I think through different scenarios or if I had any unintentional biases. It challenged me in my evaluative measures as well as my preferred method of communication. Through this class, I learned how to work on a diverse team through a myriad of communication styles. I learned to allow for disagreement, which in turn brought creative tension into the fold and provided new, fresh perspectives.
ORGL 620: Leadership Seminar
Highlights: Synthesize all program classes together; Reform Personal Leadership Philosophy
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This class has allowed me to sift through all the information I have taken in and learned over the last two years in this program. It has given me a chance to bring together all I have learned and combine them with my own personal values and beliefs to recreate my personal leadership philosophy. It has allowed me to organize all I have learned and to put together a portfolio to keep it all in one place. That is not only a benefit for me professionally moving forward but will also be a benefit for me personally as I have a place to look back at all I have learned. This class has given me a solid foundation from which I can go forth and set the world on fire.